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It’s so good to be back in the kitchen after three weeks of eating out every day. The first recipe inspired by our trip to South Africa is for these beautiful Butternut and Chickpea Cakes that we enjoyed at Ile de Pain in Knysna. You can read my review of this fantastic place here.

Light, spicy and delicious they are fantastic with the trio of sauces. The spicy tomato and chilli salsa, the cool and creamy cucumber and coriander raita and the sweet red onion maramalade. They all compliment each other so well to create a perfectly well balanced combination of flavours that really dance in your mouth.

You can use any sweet fruit chutney you have knocking around instead of the marmalade if you don’t have the patience, time or inclination to make you own. But if you do have the time it is a great thing to have in your fridge. Serve it with any burgers or patties, with a grilled goat’s cheese salad or transform a cheese sandwich into a gourmet experience by topping it with a spoonful of red onion marmalade and a handful of rocket or watercress leaves.

Preheat the oven to 190 C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Tip the squash cubes onto the tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle it over the squash. Toss it all together with your hands so it is evenly coated. Roast for 15-20 minutes until golden and soft when pierced with a knife.

Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl then tip the cooked squash into the bowl as well. Mix everything together well with your hands, squishing the squash and chickpeas to create a mushy but still a bit chunky mixture. Squish until the mixture comes together and holds it’s shape.

At this point you can cover the surface of the mixture directly with cling film and refrigerate for an hour or until needed. It will firm up in the fridge and be easier to work with but you can make them straight away if you can’t wait. Meanwhile make the sauces (see recipes below).

Divide and shape the mixture into 12 equal patties (about 60 gr. each). Pour some polenta (or breadcrumbs) onto a large flat plate and lightly dip the patties into the polenta on each side as well as rolling the sides in it too.

Heat about 1/2 cm of olive oil in a frying pan until hot then turn it down to medium and cook the patties for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden and crispy.

This is wonderful, I am going for the whole meal and all sauces. But then I really want to make the onion marmalade and then of course the tomato and chili salsa. I love your photos and presentation. Have wonderful weekend.

Beautiful – I often have problem with chickpea cakes as they tend to fall apart but I can see that made this way, they make a better mixt. Love all the sauces too…I knoew you wouldn´t disappoint with your first post trip recipe!

Oooh.. what a gorgeous presentation!
I just happen to have some leftover roasted butternut squash in the fridge… wonder if there’s enough for me to use for these cakes. I have a feeling these taste even better than they look!

I found you via foodbuzz, and these look amazing! I just made a butternut squash and chickpea flatbread pizza recently, funny enough. This is another great twist on the two ingredients. I will definitely be making these. Thank you!

I just found your blog and really like your recipes and pictures. I am vegan so I wonder if you have any suggestions on what to use instead of the egg? I am making your cabbage,leek,potato soup tonight (we have had lots of rain too)!
Thank you !

Hi Chris, I think these may be ok without the egg you know. You may have to add a few more breadcrumbs/polenta to make it hold but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I hope you enjoy the soup tonight, let me know how it goes if you try the squash cakes!!

Made these for dinner tonight and they are delicious. We’re not vegetarians but I’m delighted whenever I find a satisfying vegetarian recipe we both enjoy and find satisfying. I’ll definitely make these again. I didn’t have any lemons so I had to substitute white vinegar in places, and that worked fine.

I’m so glad they worked out & you enjoyed them so much! It is my mission to get meat eaters to realise that vegetarian food isn’t boring & can sometimes actually be better than a meaty meal, so thanks!!

What a fantastic looking vegetarian dinner idea. I am always on the lookout for things to cook for guests, that are more impressive than the usual things I make for quick dinners, and this would definitely impress.

[…] red onion marmalade is left over from a delicious meal the other night, butternut squash and chickpea cakes from Cook Eat Live Vegetarian. The red onions came from the farmers’ market, but I neglected […]

[…] into Nicholas’ diet I thought I’d adapt Cook Eat Live Vegetarian’s wonderful butternut squash and chickpea cakes. Have a look at Natalie’s fabulous plating of her creations and I dare you not to drool! In […]

[…] One of the things with making such big nutritional changes is that you have to get creative with your meals. You can’t just slop some PB & J on a sandwich anymore. So to help me be ok with the foods I’ve had to eliminate, I did a lot (a LOT) of googling to find recipes I could make during and after I’m done which are still cleanse or almost-cleanse friendly. One of those is this Butternut Squash and Chickpea Cakes recipe I found from Cook Eat Live Vegetarian. […]

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